Review: Mohawk Golf Club (Part 2)

It's time to check out the back nine at Mohawk Golf Club, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is 366 yards and plays slightly uphill to a fairway tilted significantly from right to left. There's a line of trees (and O.B) right, which is the preferable side to be on, since you get a better view on your second shot. The green is tilted from back right to front left, and there's a bunker left and a smaller one front right.

The tenth hole.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is the longest par 4 on the course, playing 440 yards with O.B. very close to the right. It's not a very inviting drive, with the landing area completely blind and trees on both sides. But it does open up a bit, so you can use driver. You actually want to favor the left side anyway; an approach from that side avoids the two bunkers right of the green, and the one left isn't the most significant hazard in the world. The green slopes significantly from back right to front left, and putts from above the hole are very slippery.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

After eight par 4s in a row, I'd be inclined to look favorably on any hole that breaks the streak. Not that there's a bad hole in the bunch, but I like a bit of variety. Fortunately, the twelfth hole, a 185-yard par 3, is one of Mohawk's best (and toughest) holes. The green is elevated and protected by six bunkers, two left and four clustered together front right. In case it wasn't hard enough to hit already, the green is also rather small and filled with plenty of undulation. There's a particularly nasty runoff on the back left corner that is really something to avoid. This is the toughest par at Mohawk, and even bogey isn't the worst thing in the world.

The twelfth hole.

The twelfth green.

The thirteenth hole is the second and final par 5 at Mohawk. From the back tees it's 515 yards, meaning it's reachable in two for most, especially if you can hit your drive long enough to catch a downslope. That extra bit of roll helps. If you can go for it, you'll need to hit a draw in, carrying a bunker about 20 yards short and skirting around a deep bunker front left. If you're laying up, you'll want to favor the right side, making sure to avoid a fairway bunker 100 yards short, placed right where you'd want to go. The green is two-tiered, with the back higher than the front. It's not a difficult hole, but it's definitely not one where you can slug two big shots and have no issues making birdie.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is a short par 4 of the drive and pitch variety, playing 340 yards. The fairway is initially quite wide, but is narrowed significantly by bunkers about 200 yards out. So you can play risk free on the drive, but that will leave 150 yards for the second, and on a hole this short, with a green as well defended as this, that's not exactly ideal. You will probably want to take on the bunkers in some capacity, but the further you go, the narrower it gets. Whatever club gets you to 100 yards is probably the best choice. The green is small and protected by sand on three sides, and is ideally approached from the right side, which perhaps not coincidentally is where the majority of the fairway bunkers are. Funny how that works out.

The fourteenth hole.

Approaching the fourteenth green.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is Mohawk's signature hole (their words, not mine), a short par 3 playing over a pond to a small green surrounded by a tiara (again, their word, not mine) of 11 small bunkers. It's referred to as a Punchbowl, but it shares little in common with the Macdonald/Raynor Punchbowl. This is its own hole, a short but challenging little par 3 with a green severely sloped from back to front. Missing the green means having to work for par, hitting the green means you have a great chance at birdie. It's a good hole, and I love short par 3s, but I think I prefer the twelfth.

The fifteenth hole.

Mohawk finishes off with a stretch of three mid-length par 4s, all playing back in the same direction back toward the clubhouse. The sixteenth plays along the side of a hill, with the fairway sloping pretty significantly from right to left. For most, that means the second shot will be a wedge or short iron with the ball above your feet. The green is protected by three bunkers, one left and two right, and there's a ridge running through the middle.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole has a pretty open fairway, though there is a small ditch and high grass left, along with a pair of small fairway bunkers. The fairway is tilted from right to left, though not as much as the previous hole. The green is on the larger side, with a bunker left and a small bunker back right. It's not the most interesting hole in the world, which is a little odd considering its place in the round.

The seventeenth hole.

The seventeenth green.

The eighteenth hole does present a decent challenge. Like the previous two holes, the fairway slopes from right to left, and is squeezed between clusters of trees. It may not be the greatest idea to use driver, but of course, laying back will leave a much longer approach into the green, and this green is very tricky. There are six bunkers around it, four left and two right, and the green is sloped sharply from back right to front left. Of course, with the clubhouse close behind, you don't want to go over the green either. You need a precise iron, which I think befits a closing hole. If you want to finish with a birdie or par, you can do that, but you have to earn it.

The eighteenth hole

Approaching the eighteenth green.

The eighteenth green.

There is a lot to like about Mohawk. It's a very good course. There are a few weaker holes, ones that aren't exactly spectacular, but there are as many strong holes to make up for that. All three par 3s in particular are very good. The short par 4s are also quite good (especially the fourth). But Mohawk also suffers the same issue that I had with Rock Spring, in that there are just too many par 4s. Death by par 4, my brother likes to call it. Two par 5s and three par 3s means that Mohawk has 13 par 4s, and you really notice that in the middle of the round, when Mohawk strings eight par 4s in a row. The stretch of 6 to 10 is especially egregious; the longest of those five holes is 394 and the shortest is 366. Less than 30 yards of difference. I think even the best architect in the world would struggle to avoid a certain repetitiveness, and while Devereux Emmet was a capable architect, he couldn't avoid the trap. Not entirely. 

Another drawback is the finish. While 18 is fine, 16 and 17 are on the weaker side, and it does kind of  feel like that the round is essentially over after 15. Mohawk's given you its best by that point, and the last three holes are simply there to get you back to the clubhouse. I exaggerate, but I think 16 and 17 would be better served if they were 350 and 450, rather than both being 400 yards. 

Something else that isn't a huge deal but nevertheless should be mentioned are the conditions. You expect a certain standard from a rather private country club, and Mohawk did not meet that. There were noticeable bare spots in the green and in portions of the fairways. Now, obviously they're not going to make what happened public knowledge, and the most we heard was that it was a rough winter, but other courses in the area didn't have the same issues in late May, so there was probably some greenkeeping mishap. Mohawk wouldn't be the first course to accidentally fry their own greens. It happens, and like I said, it wasn't the biggest deal. The greens were still puttable. If I'm lucky enough to get another chance to play here again, I'd happily go. Mohawk has a few drawbacks, but it's still a very worthwhile round.